I rode home, was planning to wait a work until a bit later but it appeared that the temperature wasn't going to drop so I took the shorter route, about 12 km.It was fine for the first half but once I headed into the wind and up the hills I started to feel it. Wouldn't have wanted to go too much further! Garmin took a bit to acclimatise but eventually settled on just over 40degrees

I did, at 4pm. It was hot, there was a great tailwind and it was dry. Same effort level on a normal summer day is an extra 2min or so over my commute of 6.6km due to prevailing headwinds and more sweat at the end due to higher humidity.

Maybe not so strangely the cycle way that is usually quite busy was completely deserted, no one else out for a walk/jog/ride.

It was that hot today that a normal speed hump between slabs of concrete on the cycle way had turned into a jump I got some air off on the roadie

When I got home to put the bike up on the rack I grabbed the black rim and quickly let it go again lest I be burned.

bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

Rode SOP and it was exhausting but got good times. I wonder if the heat has any influence on the improvement in performance? Hot air thinner to cut through? Muscles pre-warmed up? I didn't last long since I probably should have hydrated hours before the ride.

Dry heat was ok for cruising along but out of the saddle climbing and lungfulls of hot air drys the mouth and throat very quickly. Brake levers also got uncomfortably hot. Garmin hit 49 in a couple of spots

I did... 20km to Beverly Hills... First half of the ride was pretty good, the last half was very tough, encountered some head winds. The water in my bottles was warmish & I felt a little light headed when I had to stop at lights... So just cruised the last 5 or so km... And sweated buckets once I got home.Don't think I will do it again in such extreme temps.

I was surprised by a couple of things. Firstly, a lot of debree. I'm guessing that wind is the opposite to what it's been for a while now, so blew a lot of stuff out of trees. Also, the riding into that hot wind feels like it was buring my eyes. I had no desire to push myself, so commute wasn't too bad overall.

Rode from Home to SCG (AT) 4.45pm, about 9k into a headwind. The temp was 41.4C and I was expecting the worst, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. After a spin class and some weights I rode home about 7pm, 39.3C and it was noticeably better. I'm assuming the return was easier more due to the tail wind than the 2C drop.

My feeling is that its bite wasn't as bad due to the low humidity. I'm sure that excellent fitness played its part, I'm sure I would of carked it 20 years ago.

SmellyTofu wrote:Rode SOP and it was exhausting but got good times. I wonder if the heat has any influence on the improvement in performance? Hot air thinner to cut through? Muscles pre-warmed up? I didn't last long since I probably should have hydrated hours before the ride.

I was in the heat as well, only about 15km - but I went quite a lot faster than normal - I was averaging on one section nearly 39km/h, which for me is quick. I didn't pick up the KOM though, that's totally out of reach and set by some alien with super-human speed!

Damn it was hot last night, still near 38ºC at after 9pm. But it was a dry heat which made it a lot easier to deal with.

I've done a bit of riding in 40 odd degrees and found it reasonably OK. There is a limit though. I've seen two news stories recently of people dying in 45 degrees plus doing stuff you wouldn't think would kill you, so I think I'll err on the side of caution if its much above 40 in future.

if anyone hasn't seen them, there are those ice pack neck collar things that outdoorsey people sometimes wear. it looks kind of like a bandana that has a cold pack in it that you shove in the fridge to go cold and then you tie it round your neck as you go outside and it stays cool for about an hour or so. it is about an inch wide and might be useful to someone if they didn't know about them. i'm not sure what they're actually called but i'll try and find a link.

Who is online

About the Australian Cycling Forums

The largest cycling discussion forum in Australia for all things bike; from new riders to seasoned bike nuts, the Australian Cycling Forums are a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.